Most people do not associate community colleges with the terms "scholarship" and "research." One reason is that the mission statements of community colleges rarely include these terms when discussing teaching excellence. Another is that most people within higher education still hold the antiquated view that scholarship is simply research leading to publication. Other efforts such as addressing professional audiences at regional or national meetings, designing and conducting workshops and symposia, and preparing articles for respected professional journals are neither noted nor appreciated. If a broader view of academic scholarship were generally accepted, encompassing professional activity, artistic endeavor, engagement with novel ideas, community service, pedagogy, and research and publication, it would be more widely recognized that scholarship takes place at community colleges. Scholars at community colleges tend to be among the most devoted of the institution's instructors, for they make time for research while teaching a heavy course load, and are often not financially supported for their research by the institution. To encourage scholarly activities, the New Jersey Department of Higher Education recently sponsored a statewide conference to showcase two-year college scholarship. If scholarly activity is to prosper, community colleges must begin to value and stimulate scholarship from their faculty. (AJL)

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